Tire handling stand



Dec. 24, 1946. o. v. TEEGARDEN TIRE HANDLING STAND Filed June 29, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. OZZZ) Ufgaraem BY ga /2 Dec. 24, 1946. o. v. TEEGARDEN TIRE HANDLING STAND Filed June 29, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 35 IN VENTOR.

a ardem ya Patented Dec. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIRE HANDLING STAND Otto V. Teegarden, Goshem lnd. Application June 29, 1943, Serial No. 492,684

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a tire handling stand on which a wheel and tire may be rigidly supported for the purpose of easily removing the tire from the wheel and replacing it thereon with a minimum of time and effort.

One object of the invention is to provide a supporting stand, which will support the wheel and tire rigidly in a, non-movable position, so that it can be operated upon without slippage or other accidents occurring as when an attempt is made to change a tire lying on the ground or manually held in some other position.

Another object is to provide a support for the wheel which is automatically self-centering as certain mechanism of the stand is operated to clamp the rim of the wheel.

Still another object is to provide bead engaging bars supported by the tire handling stand and operable to readily and quickly break the tire loose from the rim, this being particularly desirable because of the tendency of a tire casing to become vulcanized to the rim after being on the rim for a relatively short period of time.

Still another object is to provide hydraulic mechanism for operating the bead loosening and rim clamping elements, so that a positive action can be secured thereon with plenty of leverage for clamping the rim in supported position and loosening the casing bead no matter how tightly it is stuck to the rim.

A further object is to provide casing spreader elements supported on the tire handling stand and readily movable to and from an inoperative position out of the way and likewise to and from an operative position where the casing can be spread considerably to facilitate inspection and repair while the casing remains partially on the rim.

Still a further object is to provide an auxiliary holding mechanism mounted on the tire handling stand and cooperable with the casing to position it where the valve of the inner tube of the tire can be readily re-inserted when replacing the tire on the rim.

Finally, it is an object of my present invention to provide a tire handling stand particularly adapted for use in connection with the present day drop center rim and designed to handle all vention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my tire handling stand, whereby the objects conoperations in connection with the removal and replacement of a tire relative to the rim in conjunction with a tire bead tool of the kind shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 503,174 filed September 21, 1943, issued June 26, 1945, as Patent No. 2,378,955.

With these and other objects in view, my intemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully pointed out, set forth in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one side of my tire handling stand, this being the side on which the operator stands for manipulating the stand.

Figure 2 is a perspective view or substantially the opposite side thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation, showing a wheel and tire being placed on the stand.

Figure 4 is a similar side elevation showing the rim of the wheel clamped in position and the inner bead of the casing being removed from the rim.

Figure 5 is a partial view somewhat similar to Figures 3 and 4, showing the outer bead being removed from the rim.

Figure 6 is a horizontal, sectional view through a portion of the stand and the wheel and tire, illustrating a casing spread operation performed with my stand.

Figure 7 is aside elevation similar to Figure 3 but on the reverse side and the parts being shown on a. reduced scale, this figure illustrating the operation of an auxiilary holding means for the tire casing.

Figure 8 is a similar view showing a different position of the parts; and

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the hydraulic system of my tire handling stand to illustrate the operation thereof.

on the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral I0 to indicate a supporting post, which in order to be absolutely rigid is preferably embedded in a floor ll of a garage or service station. This, of course, can be accomplished by cutting a hole through the floor and embedding the lower end of the post in concrete. Obviously a large heavy base could be used instead of embedding the post in the floor.

The post III has supported thereon a vertical guideway l4 formed of two T-bars. An upper rim clamping element or hook I6 is stationarily mounted thereon, and a pair of lower rim engaging elements or hooks l8 are vertically movable with relation thereto. Extending rearwardly from the rim clamping elements I8 is a bracket 20 adapted to be raised by a hydraulic Jack 22. A spring 24 is interposed between the head of the jack and the bracket 20 and for return purposes a pair of springs 26 and 28 are provided. The springs 26 and 28 surround a vertically slidable rod 30 secured at its lower end to the bracket 20.

A center post 32 for a wheel 34 is provided, the rim of the wheel being shown at 36. and the tire casing and tube at 36 and 40 respectively. The center post 32 has a slidable flange 42 connected with a tube 44, which telescopes into the post, the outer end of this tube being provided with an inturned flange 46 (see Figure 4) for cooperation with the tire bead tool of my co-pending application hereinbefore mentioned.

The flange 42 is normally urged outwardly by a spring 48 and may be pulled inwardly against the bias of the spring by a cable 50. The cable 50 extends over a pulley 52 and down to afoot pedal 54. The flange has a pair of notches 56 and 56 therein for engaging the center hole 60 of the wheel 34 as shown in Figure 3.

Pivoted at 62 to the top of the post I is a bell crank 64 to which is pivoted an inner bead engaging bar 66. A rest or stop 66 is provided for the bar to normally rest against. The bell crank 64 is adapted to be operated by a hydraulic unit I0, comprising the usual piston and cylinder arrangement and a return spring. I2 is provided therefor.

An outer bead engaging bar I4 is provided and it is hooked-shaped, so that it can extend over the top of the tire as in Figure 5. It is slidable relative to a lever I6 for adjustment to different sizes of tires, and a set screw I6 having a long handle is provided for holding the adjustment. The lever 16 is pivoted at 60 to a second bell crank 62, the bell crank 62 being pivoted to the head of the post I0 at 64.

A second hydraulic unit 66 is provided for operating the bell crank 62 and the return spring for this unit is shown at 66. It is connected to the end of the bell crank that is pivoted to the unit 66 by a link 90, a lever 62 pivoted to the guideway I4 at 94 and a lever 66 connected to the lever 62.

A pair of links 96 are pivoted to the bead engaging hook I4 and pivotally mounted on them is a lever I00 adapted for use as shown in Figure 5, which will be hereinafter more fully explained.

For operating the jack 22 and the hydraulic units I0 and 66, I provide a pump comprising an oil reservoir I02, a pair of pump cylinder and piston units I04-and control valves I66 and I66. The pistons of the pumps I04 are reciprocated by a hand lever I I0 and the pumps are provided with the usual intake and outlet valves 2 and "4 shown diagrammatically in Figure 9. In this figure, the piping (omitted from Figures 1 and 2) is also shown from the outlet valves I I4 to the control valve I06 and to the jack 22 through a check valve H6. The control valve I06 is mounted in a return line II6 from the jack 22 and a return line I20 is provided from the control valve I66 back to the reservoir I02.

In connection with my tire handling stand, I provide an auxiliary holding means for the tire casing, consisting of abead engaging hook I22, pivotally carried'by a bell crank I24. The bell crank I24 in turn is pivoted to the guideway l4 at I26 and a spring I26 tends to swing the hook I22 in one direction.

A hand lever I30 is provided, pivoted to the pos I 0- at I32 and the hand lever has an extension I34 connected by a link I36 with the bell crank I24. The hand lever I36 may be locked in any desired position by means of a secondary lever I36 pivoted thereto at I40 and engageable with a segment I42.

For the bead engaging hook I22, I provide a Bowden control wire I44 extending from a control button I46 to a vertically slidable rod I46 (see Figure 7). This rod is guided at its upper end by a bracket I50, and adjacent its lower end is connected as by a chain I52 with the hook I22. When the button I46 is pressed inwardly it rotates the hook I22 clockwise against the action of the spring I26.

In connection with my tire handling stand, I provide casing spreader mechanism in the form of a pair of c-shaped straps I54 pivoted at I56 to brackets I56. The brackets I56 are pivoted at I60, the pivots I60 including friction springs I62. The pivots I60 are supported by a cross bar I64 which is mounted on a cross-head I66 vertically slidable on the guideways I4 and carrying the center post 32. The wheel supporting flange 42 is in turn slidable inwardly and outwardly relative to the post 32 and is provided with a guide pin I66 slidable in the cross-head I66. Rigid on the pivots I62, I mount fingers I63 to support the straps I54 in an inoperative position.

Through the outer ends of the C-shaped straps I54, I slidably mount Y hooks "0 provided with T handles I12 and having coil springs I14 for moving them in a casing spreading direction as shown in Figure 6. The c-shaped straps I54 being carried by the cross-head I66 are thereby automatically adjustable to different sizes of tires-always remaining at substantially the center from top to bottom thereof.

Practical operation In the operation of my tire handling stand, after the wheel 34 and the tire 36, together with the tube 40 are removed from the automobile, the wheel is temporarily supported on the center post 32 by engaging the opening 60 with one of the notches 56 or 56. It is shown engaged in dotted position with the notch 56 in Figure 3 whereas if the central portion of the wheel projects farther toward the left, it may be engaged with the notch 56. The operator then steps on the pedal 54 for the purpose of drawing the flange 42 inwardly as to the full line position which causes the inner edge of the rim 36 to engage against the vertical surfaces of the rim clamping elements I6 and I6 as shown. The hooked parts of the rim clamping elements, it will be noted, indent the casing 36. In this position, the inner edge of the rim is in alignment with the hooks I6 and I6 for subsequent proper coactionas shown in Figure 4.

With the control valve I06 in position 4 so that operation of the pumps I04 will not operate either of the hydraulic units I0 or 66, and with the control valve I06 closed, the handle IIO may now be oscillated for pumping oil from the reservoir I62 through the check valve II6 to the jack 22. This causes the jack-head to elevate and through the spring 24 thereby elevate the bracket 20, the rod 36, and the rim engaging elements I6. IAt the same time, the wheel supporting flange 42 is elevated at about half the speed of the rim clamping elements l6 due to a bracket 43 connected with the flange 42 by a rod 45 carried by the bracket and the flange 42 being slidable relative to this rod. The bracket 43 is suspended between the two springs 26 and 26. Thus, regardless of the size of the rim, the wheel center is substantially centered at all times between the rim clamping elements, making it-unnecessary to provide a separate adjustment to flt different sizes of rims.

The elements I6, of course, have a range of movement to take in all ordinary sizes 0: rims.

During n eubsequent operations on the stand, the check valve II6 will keep the jack 22 elevated even though pressure is changed or released in the piping from th pumps I04 to the control valve I08. The rim clamping elements I6 and I8 are held against the rim 36 under tension of the spring 24 so that slight displacements of the rim while working upon it, will not loosen it from the rim engaging elements due to oil in the Jack being substantially incompressible.

The next operation to be performed is to loosen the tire casing 38 from the rim 36. The initial position of the casing is shown by dotted lines at the top of Figure 4 and the bead of the casing may be released by pushing it to the full line position by the bead engaging bar 66. This is accomplished by turning the valve I08 from position 4 to position I, the passageway in the valve being then in the full line position shown at I in Figure 9.

' Now when the handle H0 is oscillated, oil will be pumped from the pumps I04 into the hydraulic unit II for rotating the bell crank lever 64 counterclockwise in Figure 1 against the action of the spring 12. This causes the bead engaging bar 66 to move from the dotted position of Figure 4 to the full line position, closely following the rim as indicated by the dotted line a and finally following a path b as the bead engaging end of the bar enters the drop center 31 of the rim. The path b is followed by reason of the bar 66 riding on the stop 68 instead of following the drop center, and thus I avoid pinching the tube 40. By the time the inner head of the tire has been moved to the full line position of Figure 4, it has been broken loose from the rim sufiiciently far around the periphery to permit breaking loose of the rest of the bead by handwith a minimum of effort.

The control valve I08 may be moved to position 2 for releasing the oil from the hydraulic unit I0, the valve port being in the position 2' in Figure 9. The spring I2 causes the bead engaging bar 66 to be retracted.

The outer bead may then be similarly loosened by swinging the bead engaging hook I4 from the position shown in Figure l to the full line position shown in Figure 5. This hook may be adjusted relative to the lever I6 to accommodate different sizes of tires. The handle I00 is manipulatedto the full line position so that its outer end may be pressed down upon while the bead is being loosened by movement of the hook I4 to the dotted line position. By pressing down on the handle I00 the bead engaging end of the hook I4 will properly follow the contour of the rim 36.

The hook I4 is hydraulically operated by rota tion of the bell crank 82 clockwise in Figure 2, thus pulling the hook I4 inwardly through the lever 16. The control valve I08 is in position 3 for this peration whereas it is placed in position 4 for releasing the hook I4, such release being effected by the spring 88. The control valve I06 may then be left in position 4 for the next tire to be worked upon.

After the entire casing 38 is loosened from the rim 36, the tire bead tool of my co-pending application is associated with the flange 46 in the manner shown in said application for removing the outer bead of the casing from the rim. The casing may then be spread apart for inspection by swinging the C-shaped straps I54 first on their pivots I and then on their pivots I56 to the position shown in Figure 6, after which the T handles I62 may be manipulated for compressing the springs I14 and engaging the Y hooks I10 with the outer bead of the tire casing. The cas- 6 ing is now spread apart for ready removal of the inner tube 40 and for inspection and repair if desirable or necessary.

when returning the tire to its proper positio on the rim, the tire casing is first dropped to the position shown in Figure 7 with its inner bead in the drop center of the rim. The Y hooks I'll are engaged with the outer bead to spread the casing and thereby facilitate insertion of the inner tube 40. The upper part of the inner tube may now be inserted over the upper half of the rim and the lower part of the inner tube then brought around under the lower hall of the rim. It Is somewhat difiicult, however, to insert the tire valve 4| (see Figure 8) through the tire valve opening 38 of the rim without some means to hold the tire casing in a desired position. For this purpose, I provide the parts I22 to I52 which are operated as follows: A

The handle I30 is moved to the position in Figure 7 for rotating bell crank lever I24 counterclockwise and thereby swinging the hook I22 to the full line position illustrated. The thumb button I46 may then be depressed for raising the rod I48 and thereby rotating the hook I22 clockwise on its pivot to the bell crank I24 against the action of the spring I28. While the thumb button I46 is held in and while friction tends to keep the hook I22 engaged with the tire casing bead, the lever I30 may be raised to the position of Figure 8 with one hand while the operator uses his other hand to insert the valve 4I through the opening 39. The lever I30 and the button I46 may then be manipulated for removing the hook I22 and the tire is ready for replacing the outer bead. This is done by the tire bead tool of my co-pending application as fully described therein and the tire changing job is complete, so that the inner tube can be inflated. The control valve I06 is then opened to permit the jack 22 to lower and the wheel and tire may be removed from the tire handling stand and replaced on the automobile.

- Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof. a

I claim as my invention: I

1. In a tire handling stand, a support, a center post extending therefrom, said center post being movable radially with respect to a supported wheel, fixed and movable rim clamping elements for engaging the rim of the wheel and thereby supporting the wheel, means for moving said movable rim clamping element radially with respect to the rim and ,thereby clamping the rim between it and the fixed rim clamping element,

v and means for simultaneously therewith moving said center post to substantially centered position with respect to said rim clamping elements as said movable rim clamping element is so moved, said last means comprising a pair of springs, one interposed between said support and said center post and the other interposed between said oenter post and said movable rim clamping element.

2. In a tire handling stand of the character disclosed, a support, means thereon for supporting a wheel having a drop center rim and a tire thereon, and means for removal of the tire from the wheel, said last means comprising a. bead asiaoio engaging element for a bead of the tire casing, means for moving said bead engaging element for loosening said bead from the rim, and means including a lever for imparting rotational and translatory motion to said bead engaging element, said lever being pivoted to said support adjacent the outer edge of the rim and having an end extending away from the axis of pivoting, said bead engaging element being pivoted to said end, and stop means engaged by the bead engaging element to prevent it from entering the drop center of the rim.

3. In a tire handling stand, a rigid support, a.

center post extending therefrom for supporting a wheel at its center hole, rim clamping elements for engaging the rim of the wheel and thereby rigidly supporting the wheel and a tire thereon for removal of the tire from the wheel, actuating means for relatively moving said rim clamping elements to engage them with the rim, and means for simultaneously therewith moving said center post to substantially centered position with respect to said rim clamping elements as they are at its center hole, rim clamping elements for engaging the rim of the wheel and thereby rigidly supporting the wheel, said center post being movable axially and having a shoulder to engage the wheel to move the wheel to a position for alignment of the marginal edge of the rim with said rim clamping elements, means for moving said center post axially, and means for operating said rim clamping elements and for simultaneously therewith moving said center post to substantially centered position with respect thereto, said last means including springs interposed between said center post and said rim clamping elements whereby movement of said rim clamping elements relatively toward each other effects movement of said center post to a substantially centered position between them.

5. In a tire handling stand, a rigid support, rim clamping elements for engaging the rim oi a wheel and thereby rigidly supporting the wheel and a tire thereon for removal of the tire from the wheel with the rim and the wheel at one side of the support, a bead engaging element for loosening the head of the tire from the rim, said bead engaging element being mounted for positive rotational and free translatory movement, a

lever to effect such movement, said lever being pivoted to said support adjacent the periphery of the rim and extending away from its axis, said by rigidly supporting it and a tire thereon for removal of the tire from the wheel, means for moving said movable rim clamping element upwardly to effect engagement of it and the fixed rim clamping element with the rim, a bell crank pivoted intermediate its ends to said support adjacent the upper portion ofthe wheel with one arm extending upwardly and the other horizontally, a bead en agin element pivoted to the upper end of said first arm and extending in a downwardly inclined position slidable over said fixed rim clamping element, and means engaging the second arm of said bell crank for operating said bead engaging element for loosening the bead from the rim.

7. In a tire handling stand, a rigid support, a center post extending therefrom for supporting a wheel with a tire casing thereon at the center hole of the wheel, fixed and movable rim clam! ing elements for engaging the rim of the wheel and thereby rigidly supporting the wheel, said center post being axially movable and having means engaging the wheel to move it to a Position for said rim clamping elements when operated to receive the edge of the rim, means for manually moving said center post and engaging the tire casing with said rim clamping elements with suflicient force for them to indent the easing, actuating means for engaging said rim clamping elements with the rim edge, a bead engaging element mounted on said support adjacent said fixed rim clamping element and engageable with the tire casing, and actuating means for moving said bead engaging element relative to said support for loosening the tire bead from the rim.

8. In a tire handling stand, a rigid support, a center post extending therefrom for supporting a wheel at its center hole, fixed and movable rim clamping elements for engaging opposite sides of the rim of the wheel and thereby rigidly supporting the wheel and a tire thereon for removal of the tire from the wheel, said center post being axially movable and having means to engage the wheel to also move it to a position for 'said rim clamping elements when operated to bead engaging element being pivoted to the'outer end of said lever and sloping inwardly toward the periphery of the rim to effect a close following of the bead engaging end thereof along the walls of the channel of the rim across its periphery as the bead or the tire casing is pushed y from the rim.

6. In a tire handling stand, a rigid vertical support, fixed and movable rim clamping elements for engaging the rim of a wheel and therereceive the edge of the rim. said rim clamping elements upon axial movement of said center post forcibly engaging the side of the tire casing to insure that they will receive the rim edge when they are operated, and means for operating said rim clamping elements whereby they receive said edge of said rim.

9. In' a tire handling stand, a rigid support, a center post extending therefrom for supporting a wheel with a tire casing thereon at the center hole of the wheel, rim clamping elements for engaging the rim of the wheel and thereby rigidly supporting the wheel, said center post being axially movable to a position where the marginal edge of the rim will be engaged by the rim clamping elements when they are moved radially relative to each other, means for axially moving said center post and engaging it with the wheel to thereby move the tire casing to a position and with sufilcient force to cause said rim clamping elements to indent the casing, and actuating means for radially moving said rim clamping elements relative to each other for engaging them with said marginal edge of the rim,

OI'IO V. TEEGARDEN. 

